Mary Helen Chacon Lucero grew up in the projects known as the Marcos De Niza, located on Central and Buckeye in Phoenix. Graduating from Lowell Elementry School, she went to Carl Hayden High School for 1 year and then attended O.I.C. Vocational School in Phoenix, learning cashiering skills. She then went to work for Safeway and during her 13 years there, learned about food and food preparation.

Her real mentors are her mother and grandmother - she feels she was taught by the best. They inspired her to put this collection together. Cooking gave her warm, loving memories of her family, with the aromas of food that will stay in her heart forever. She hopes to share those feelings with this book.